A Massive Cargo Ship Just Vanished in The Ocean

A very large ore-carrying cargo ship has mysteriously disappeared in the South Atlantic, and vigorous search and rescue operations are currently underway in the south Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South America, according to the New York Post.

The South Korean-owned vessel named Stellar Daisy had embarked on a trip to deliver iron ore from Brazil to China when it sent out a distress call Friday and then vanished about 1,500 miles off the coast of Brazil and Uruguay. It was feared to have sunk.

The South Korean foreign ministry reported that two Filipino crew members had been spotted and rescued from a lifeboat, but other lifeboats and rafts were found empty in the area and 22 crew members remain unaccounted for.

NBC News reported that at least one crew member sent out a text Friday notifying their employer that the ship was taking on water on the port side.

“A search operation is continuing for the 22 people,” stated a South Korean foreign ministry official in Seoul, noting that of the 22 missing crew members, eight were South Korean nationals and 14 were Filipinos.

According to UPI, a ministry official said that they “cannot rule out the possibility that the ship may have sunk.”

South Korea has sought the assistance of Brazil and Uruguay in searching the area for the lost vessel and crew, with the Brazilian air force reportedly dispatching a C-130 cargo aircraft to aid in the effort.

The ship had left Rio de Janeiro on March 26, and was last heard from around noon on March 31.

Hopefully more of the crew were able to survive and will eventually be rescued, but the odds of that happening are diminishing by the day.